Problem with a Network Interface

Hi every body,

I have a Fiber Channel interface (fcs2) in AIX 5.2. This interface was fine & up but for some reason I could not return this interface UP again after I set it DOWN.

When I tried to set this interface UP I encountered the following error:

Method error (/usr/lib/methods/chgif.fc):
0514-085 Error controlling a device path in the kernel.
/usr/lib/drivers/if_fc: There is an input or output error.
0821-510 ifconfig: error calling entry point for /usr/lib/drivers/if_fc: There is an input or output error.
0821-223 chgif: Cannot get records from CuAt.
0821-229 chgif: ifconfig command failed.
The status of"fc2" Interface in the current running system is uncertain.

I don't understand what is the meaning of this error & how to resolve this problem.

Thank in advance.

I know this sounds like a windows help desk solution but does the device normally come up after a reboot? (hint hint)

Oh, and why did you set it down?

I reboot the system but the problem still exist.

What were you doing with it to set it down?

What is the device connected to, is that all up and healthy?

Are you doing the changes manually or using "smit"?

I invoked the following command to set the interface down:
>> ifconfig fcs2 inet down
After that I could not return it UP again neither using command line nor SMIT.

This used this interface to connect to another server directly using Fiber (Back-to-Back).

Also when I tried to remove this interface and create again I could not.

I did find this on the net...

Fibre Channel Adapter for I/O or TCP/IP? - ITtoolbox Groups

Which makes me wonder if the device is picky when there is no cabling.

Does the OS happily say that the card that the device is on is happy?

How to solve the problem above? Or how can I delete the interface in proper way & create again?

One option is to force AIX to reconfigure itself by switching off, unplugging the fiber card and rebooting AIX. You may have to check documentation to find out how to get AIX to rebuild it's view of the actual available devices. Mine has previously done this on a simple reboot.

On removal of the card, AIX should deconfigure the devices, so have a good look and note all the devices associated with the card. When you reboot after removing, see if those devices have been deleted.

Then recycle the machine a couple of times to confirm the machine is happy, then shutdown, reinstall the card and see if it is recognized by the OS and reconfigures itself.

Make a note of any alerts/warning that get printed out on reboot and follow any instructions given.